


Safe and Sound

by deputyrevelator



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Far Cry 5 AU, Fluff and Smut, Hate to Love, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, It's not even remotely canon compliant bc where is the fun in that, Love, Love/Hate, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character(s), Romance, Soft John Seed, You Have Been Warned, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-15 09:01:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18495685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deputyrevelator/pseuds/deputyrevelator
Summary: After trying to arrest Joseph Seed at the Church of Eden's Gate, the Junior Deputy finds herself waking in the company of his younger Brother John after their chopper hits the ground. She's heard things about him and they're not good things, so when she sees another side of him things suddenly become very complicated. What started as a straightforward task becomes a very different kind of mission. The Deputy is caught in the crossfire.**Far Cry 5 non canon AU**





	1. Welcome to Hope County

**Author's Note:**

> Thought I'd juggle two for fun, seeing as I don't sleep at night. Feedback is appreciated always x

Mollie peered with a squint out over the Montana valley through tinted windows, the territory was unknown to her and not completely foreboding as the Sheriff had made it out to be. From the air it looked like a relatively normal community tucked within the rolling green walls of the valley, but like a sore thumb sticking up almost in the centre was an ominous white ivory statue.

Mollie studied it intensely for a moment. Beacons of light the size of ants from their viewpoint lit a path leading up to and around the monstrous structure.

"That what you were talking about earlier, Sheriff? This is the statue that these Peggies of yours built?" Mollie asked, half in disbelief as she stared at the statue of Joseph Seed.

"Sure is Rook. Jesus..." The Sheriff sighed heavily.

"How much longer?" Barked the Marshall, a grim tone lingering on his words and a stern looked glazed across his face. He'd chosen Mollie for the job, and Mollie didn't feel as though she had the option to decline.

"Just long enough for you to change your mind, so we can turn this bird around..." The sheriff retorted, but not with humour. He was deadly serious and it made Mollie wonder just how much of a threat were these people that the Sheriff referred to as Peggies.

She zoned out for a moment longer turning back towards the tail of the aircraft, staring once more at the statue and wondering how long it would take to build something that huge.

"... Joseph Seed is not a man to be fucked with." She caught the Sheriff say, so she turned back to him to pay attention, "We've had run ins with him before and they haven't always gone our way. Just sometimes, sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone."

Was the Sheriff of this county really saying that? Mollie thought to herself whilst she eyed the man up and down, wondering if he was deadly serious or just too afraid of these people. The locals damned the Peggies, accusing them of kidnapping and murder amongst other crazy sounding things.

"Yeah well... we have laws for a reason, Sheriff. Joseph Seed is gonna learn that." The Marshall asserted.

The Sheriff, named Earl Whitehorse, called in to dispatch to announce their descent on what he called 'the compound'. From what Mollie had learned so far the people here, the ones they called Peggies, were members of a group called 'The Project at Eden's Gate'. She was briefed that this was a group of cultists, that they were crazy and many of them as high as kites on something that they called 'The Bliss'. She'd never heard of anything so stupid in her life.

The Marshall and Sheriff continued their back and forth as Mollie strained her neck to look out of the window of the chopper as the small aircraft came in to land. White fencing came into her view, the words 'Church of Eden's Gate' above the entrance. People were milling about the ground, their eyes not diverting from Mollie and the rest of the intruders as the chopper landed softly. The Peggies bore all sorts of weapons in their hands from rifles to flamethrowers, Mollie would be stupid if she had said she wasn't at least slightly unnerved by them.

"Now listen up. Three rules; stick close, keep you guns in your holsters... and let me do the talking. Got it? Rookie?" The Sheriff warned, his voice raised above the sound of the blades still spinning above them.

Mollie silently agreed, and carefully they piled from the chopper.

Walking slowly through the compound Mollie followed behind the Marshall, Sheriff Whitehorse and Deputy Hudson, who was one of two others on the taskforce. Their duty sounded simple enough; arrest Joseph Seed. Just one man who coincidentally happened to be surrounded by weapons and followers. Song seemed to echo from the Church they walked toward as dogs barked violently around them.

At the entrance to the Church, the Sheriff warned the group to leave it to him once more before he pushed open the doors, disturbing the sermon into an eerie stillness. The voice of just one man rose above the audience filling up the silent spaces.

Joseph Seed stood afront the crowd, behind him Mollie could only guess, stood the rest of the Seed family that they'd been told about.

"Something is coming, you feel it, don't you? We are creeping toward the edge, and there will be a reckoning... that is why we started the project, because we know what happens next. They will try to come for us, to take our guns, to take our freedom, to take our faith... We will not let them. We will not let their greed, or their immorality or their depravity hurt us anymore! There will be no more suffering!" Joseph's word rang around the building before the Marshall decided to do exactly as Sheriff Whitehorse had warned him not to do.

"Fuck this - Joseph Seed!" He cut in bluntly, "I have a warrant issued for your arrest on suspicion of kidnapping with the intent to harm. Now I want you to step forward... and keep your hands where I can see em'."

There was a short silence before grumbles and protests emerged from the crowd of people surrounding them. The people, all of whom seemed to be carrying weapons even inside the Church, were more than displeased with their arrival. And now, these strangers wanted to take away the man they called 'Father'.

Mollie felt a sudden air of unease as though something terrible and out of their control was about to occur. She was quite intuitive about these things, very rarely was she wrong about her gut feeling, her gut feeling had many times in the past saved her life.

"There they are..." Joseph spoke again, "The locusts in our garden. See they've come for me, they've come to take me away from you. They've come to destroy all that we've built!"

There was a commotion, Mollie was tense and ready as she instinctively hovered her hand over her holster. The Sheriff ordered the Marshall to take his hand away from his own weapon and stand down while Joseph Seed slowly pushed through the wall of people that were gathering in front of him like a barrier. His siblings closed in behind him at an even slower pace.

Mollie took a quick look at them. In the dark they were hard to distinguish. One was a girl, young and beautiful, she had a look of both innocence and malice on her face. The tallest sibling was an older looking man who had probably seen better days, he had red hair and an unkempt beard, he was built ruggedly and sported military style camouflage and khaki clothing. The last brother was younger looking and more svelte, his dark hair and beard was well groomed and his clothes were smart and well planned. Mollie liked this one the least, she decided, he didn't look like he should be there.

Joseph stood shirtless baring his torso adorned with tattoos and scarring, he peered over yellow tinted aviators at the taskforce. Mollie didn't have time to read the words emblazoned across his chest before he spoke again.

"We knew this moment would come. We've prepared for it... go. God will not let them take me." He ushered his crowd out of the Church. As they passed they stared at each officer with a threatening glare.

With this, Joseph raised his arms into the air. He hadn't finished talking yet.

"I saw when the lamb opened the first seal, then I heard as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts say 'Come and see!' - "

"Step forward - " The Marshall ordered and surprisingly Joseph obeyed. Bringing his hands down, he stared intently at the Marshall to begin with before moving toward Mollie, his eyes focussed on her face.

"And I saw... And behold, it was a white horse. And hell followed with it..." Joseph Seed trailed off as he raised his arms to her, bringing his wrists together slowly while a rosary that was wrapped around his hand swung to and fro.

"Rookie, cuff this son of a bitch." The Marshall ordered.

Mollie knew, as she scanned the Seed family once more, that this was the start of something perilous. She wasn't one to defy orders and for a moment she breathed in heavily as if she were about to speak but instead, she sighed out and without taking her eyes from the man stood in front of her she took the handcuffs from her belt.

"God will not let you take me." Joseph spoke again before Mollie snapped the cold metal around his wrists, "Sometimes the best thing to do... is to walk away."

As Mollie escorted Joseph Seed from the Church things began to get progressively worse. Suddenly it seemed as though their numbers had doubled as the crowded and followed through the compound back towards the chopper.

She noticed one of many words on his back 'gluttony', though it was not a tattoo as she had originally assumed, it looked as though it had been carved into him with a knife. He was silent as she paced behind her comrades however the growing number of Peggies around them grew louder and angrier by the second.

As they dragged Joseph Seed into the chopper Mollie saw with her own eyes something that she had never expected to see. While Joseph Seed remained calm and unphased, the followers of the Project at Eden's Gate began to run at the vehicle. They tried the doors in an attempt to disturb the pilot, Staci Pratt, and some attempted to grab on to their Father. Mollie and Deputy Hudson kicked them back as the chopper began to ascend.

But as it climbed higher and the stragglers began to let go and fall from its metal, one who had managed to cling onto the windscreen, leapt upwards into the propellers prompting a loud bang as the blades snapped and sliced the body into pieces.

"Marshall -" Mollie cried out over the noise, "We are going down!" Shouts and cries of 'hold on' could be heard from up front and over the noise Mollie could her Joseph Seed singing to himself. As the small aircraft plummeted what must have been about 60 feet down to the ground, 'Amazing Grace' echoed in her mind before she felt a sharp blow to her head and the world turned black.


	2. The Younger Brother and his Bunker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mollie Bourne wake up after the Chopper crashes in the Eden's Gate compound, and she's certainly not in the valley anymore...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes Chapter 1. was literally the prologue I know. Here's some original writing.

When Mollie Bourne awoke it was again to the sound of music, but certainly not a rendition of 'Amazing Grace'. The sound was more of an electronic indie-rock, she didn't recognise it but it sounded modern and similar to the sort of music that she as a 29 year old would listen to. Someone was clearly listening to it out of enjoyment and not to piss her off, she thought.

Mollie studied her surroundings, noting that she wasn't outside but nor did she feel like she was truly indoors, her eyes opened weakly and her first thought was that she was in a boiler room. Immediately she was reminded of the pain on her head as a sharp sting resonated through her skull making her aware of the headache that was weighing her down. She felt sick and found herself unable to focus on things for very long, this was when she realised she was bound at the wrists and ankles in what appeared to be a chamber of some sort.

"Concussion." A voice said. Or at least, Mollie thought a voice said. For a moment she stayed quiet and still before she heard it repeat itself.

"I.. I don't.. I don't see you. Where am I and who are you?" Mollie stumbled on her words as she realised that her gun was gone and so was her knife and radio.

"I think I should be asking you that question first... Deputy." A figure stepped out from the shadows and even though the room was spinning slowly, she recognised him as Joseph Seed's younger brother.

"You..." She whispered, sure that he didn't hear her over the music, "So I'm your hostage now?"

"Your name, please." He demanded as he moved closer to Mollie, his face coming into focus as he stepped forward, "I only got as far as Deputy Bourne." He pointed to her badge.

"Then that's what you'll call me." She quipped. The Seed brother laughed.

"Alright Deputy, have it your way. I was only trying to be friendly... friendlier than you were when you walked into our Church." He grinned.

"Orders are orders." Mollie replied quickly as she tried not to break eye contact with him.

"Obedient!" John shouted with an air of surprise, "I like that in a woman. I'm John Seed."

Mollie's heart stopped for a brief moment, she'd heard the name mentioned before they set off for Hope County. They referred to him as John the baptist, or more affectionately at the station he was known as 'one sick, sadistic bastard'.

"Okay John, I'm Mollie. Tell me, where do we go from here? I'm tied up fuck knows where, I don't see my team in this room, I can only assume that we've been separated." She tried to stay calm and relaxed with her logic and cool.

"Clever Mollie Bourne, you're not dumb." John Seed overemphasised his words and gestures, he seemed to Mollie to be a bit of a showman who enjoyed visuals and was out to scare her.

"So what next?" She repeated shortly.

"Let me switch off this music, and we'll talk." John Seed walked over to a stereo and switched off the plug bringing an eerie quiet down on the room.

While his back was turned Mollie gazed around looking for an exit, her vision had steadied somewhat but to her disappointment all she saw was a metal staircase that led down - one way in and one way out. Glancing around the room, she noticed that the floor was dappled in splashes of deep crimson which she immediately identified as blood stains. A lump rose up in her throat and heat prickled the back of her neck, making her feel that she was going to vomit. Up on the tables she could see ropes, chains, wire and plenty of sharp objects laid out almost surgically.

Mollie Bourne could only guess what sort of man the youngest Seed brother was. Kidnapping and murder seemed plausible for Eden's Gate now that the pieces were falling into place. She told herself to remain calm and not to toe the line with him if she could help it.

"Where am I, John Seed?" Mollie's cool had started to falter almost as soon as she opened her mouth.

"That doesn't matter," John gushed, shaking his head, "Here. Take this." He quickly turned around and strode over to where Mollie was tied up on the floor. He held a small plastic cup in his hand, it looked as though he had poured Mollie a shot of liquor.

"No, you're handing me some random liquid as asking me to take it? Obviously not gonna happen." Mollie refused.

"It's a painkiller, I think you need it." He spoke in a serious tone as he crouched to her level.

Mollie shook her head 'no' as she stared him dead in the eyes. John grimaced when she refused to do as she was told, he didn't like it when people said no to him and there were always consequences for that. Unexpectedly with his thumb and forefinger, he reached out and squeezed Mollie's nostrils together to prevent her from breathing through her nose.

"Not as obedient as I'd hoped, Deputy. You'll have to open that pretty little mouth to breathe soon or you'll pass out. Either way, I'll be tipping this down your throat somehow." He grinned as he spoke, almost like he was enjoying it.

Mollie froze, she held her breath for as long as she could but the feeling of her chest tensing up with her struggle hurt. Her body begged her to breathe and her eyes began to weep at the corners. John Seed was right, as she inevitably opened her mouth to gasp for air, he swiftly tipped the warm liquid down her throat. A smile still plastered across his face.

Mollie choked on the liquid slightly as it forced its way down, it's floral aroma surprising her into coughing.

"You sick asshole, what the fuck was that?" Mollie sputtered.

"I told you it was a painkiller, soon you'll be able to see more clearly. Now, where were we?" John hummed as if he had lost his train of thought.

"You were about to untie me and show me the exit." Mollie glared at him as he got back to his feet and stood up straight, he laughed at her.

"I like you Deputy, but that wasn't it. You came to take the Father, my brother Joseph."

"Under orders, yes." She repeated to him again.

"I believe you had a choice in that moment... just like you do now." John began.

"What do you mean?" Mollie began to feel dizzy again, it was worse this time than when she woke up. Her heart began to race and she felt as though a pulse was moving through her body, beating against her skin. John could see it on her face.

"That was quick." John laughed, "You're not as hard as you look, Deputy."

"What did you give me? Is it going to hurt me?" Mollie had an air of panic in her voice.

"No," John shook his head, "It'll pass in a few moments, and then you'll see."

Mollie had to lie herself flat as the world spun around her even more, as she lay back she closed her eyes and breathed deeply feeling as though she was on some kind of bad trip. It felt like a lifetime had passed before suddenly everything seemed to stop moving and her head began to feel steady but hazy, her eyes snapped open as though she'd just woken up again.

"What did you do, John?"

"Helped you to see." John pulled a chair across the room to Mollie and lifted her up onto it with relative ease, he could feel strength in her weight as he lifted her. Noticing that while she wasn't petite, she was stronger than most women. Of course she had to be as an officer of the law.

"Now tell me, Deputy..." John leant over her almost too close for comfort and whispered, "Would you like to be saved?"

"Saved from what?" Mollie asked, confused with his questioning as an ethereal feeling took over her. She didn't know what John had given her, but she didn't feel as though she could put up a fight. Her body was starting to feel numb and all she wanted was a bed and a duvet.

"You came here to take away the Father, but what you haven't considered is how he's right and you're wrong. Just think about it - why do people love the Father so much? He was right, he said God wouldn't let you take him, and here we are." John smirked.

"We had orders to arrest - " She began for the third time.

"Arrest him for saving people, now isn't that a messed up concept from the bigwigs and the man in charge. They don't want you to be saved, you struggle while they wage their wars and throw about their money like it means nothing. When the collapse comes, what good will all that be?" His philosophy lesson was too much for her when she could barely feel her own jaw moving.

"Collapse?" Mollie repeated in confusion.

"The end of the world as we know it. Those who are saved by being cleansed and attoning for their sins will have nothing to fear when the collapse arrives for God will have judged them." John carried on talking and she let him, she figured he clearly like to hear himself talk.

"I don't believe what you believe. I would rather just go home." Dismissing his speech, Mollie locked eyes with him as he circled around her front. His eyes were the bluest she had ever seen, like the ocean sparkling underneath the sunlight they gleamed, and they were captivating enough to get lost in.

"Not an option." He refuted.

"If you aren't going to let me go free then what will you do? Will you just leave me to rot?" By this time, the Junior Deputy was starting to lose her form. All sense of calm and rationale was draining away from her.

"You won't be the first, Deputy." The Seed brother wasn't lying, Mollie could read that on his face.

"Why do you have all of those things on that table? Chains and scalpels and is that a tattoo machine?" She looked over at his instruments again and he snorted a laugh before slowly walking up to the table.

John ran his fingers across the metal, gazing at each tool he had on his table intently until he picked up a short, thin bladed knife.  
"You ask a lot of questions and it's really starting to annoy me, I thought you were obedient?"

"John. Stop it." A familiar voice halted John, making him drop the knife. Mollie drew in a breath and held it when Joseph Seed made himself heard having quietly entered the room unnoticed, she saw that suddenly John looked flustered.

"Joseph... I - " He faltered his words before Joseph spoke over him, sternly but gently.

"What have I told you John? Those you scar too deeply will carry your sin, they will spread your sin to others. You must let more love into your heart... why don't you start with this one? Remember, she was acting upon the will of others." Joseph had embraced his younger brothers face within his palms as he spoke.

"Yes Joseph, I remember." John nodded.

"Good. I wanted to come and see you after what happened at the Church, I'm sorry it took so long brother, I see you've - " but Joseph was interrupted by the deputy who had previously tried to arrest him.

"Wait stop, took so long? How long has it been?" Mollie commanded their attention.

"Three days." The brothers spoke almost in unison.

"So... I've been hostage for three days, no food, drink, shower or any of that?"

"You can have all of that, my child," Joseph began as he slowly approached her. Mollie's head was still spinning as she tried to fight of this feeling coursing through her. Joseph placed a gentle hand on her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes, "Please forgive my brother. His approach can be questionable but he will take care of you, God told me he would. I want you to know that I've forgiven you and that you can atone for this, when you do then you will be accepted."

Mollie could say nothing. Her hazy mind was telling her that she was trapped with no escape and that either she would waste away and die or do what they wanted and live, but somewhere in the back of her mind was a cop telling her to fight.

"Joseph, I'm happy to take it from here." John spoke after a pause.

"As you wish John, I love you brother. I'll see you in the morning." The Father of Eden's Gate bid his brother farewell before heading towards what Mollie could see was the only exit.

"Yes, Joseph, and I you..." John trailed his voice off, he didn't speak again until his brother had left the room, turning his attention to Mollie. "Would you like a shower and some clean clothes?" He offered.

"Whats the catch?" Untrusting of John Seed, Mollie eyed him with a furrowed brow, all he gave her in return was a shrug.

"I don't know yet."

 


	3. The Younger Brother and his Bunker (Pt. 2)

John Seed and Mollie had come to an agreement on some terms; he would provide her with food, allow her to take a shower and provide her with some clean clothes as long as she listened to what he had to say. Mollie agreed to this, still feeling a strange sort of high from the so-called painkiller that he had forced her to ingest. John seemed to have adopted a slightly different attitude since Joseph had visited him with what sounded like a warning.

He had revealed to Mollie that they were in a bunker, his bunker, and that this was where he would spend his time waiting for the nuclear winter to pass after the collapse. The bunker, she noted, was filled with supplies and weapons. She was very aware that a doomsday bunker meant she was underground, and that the only way out, was up.

The food she was given before being taken to the shower room was nothing special but for her 3 day empty stomach, salted rice and turkey meat was more than enough. Not to mention that John had provided some sort of brightly coloured fruit juice, mentioning that it was berry lemonade flavour and that he was addicted to it. Not something she had expected from a so-called psychopath, but she didn't argue, she needed the sugar if she were to attempt an escape at all.

Mollie was conflicted in her thoughts of escape as she was sure that the moment she tried to run, she'd be shot down like a dog. No one had come for her yet, and she doubted anyone would. The bunker while full of weapons and supplies was also a maze to her, but she had no idea what else could be in store.

Shortly after she had eaten everything on her plate, John took her down to a shower block not too dissimilar to those that she'd seen in prisons. It wasn't dirty, but it wasn't exactly private.

"So, here's how this will work," John sighed as they reached a cubicle, "I won't let anyone else in here. However I will be waiting for you just there and all you have is soap and a towel so remember that I have my gun. I'm going to untie you for you to shower like we did when you ate, but when you're done and dressed I will be putting the ties back on you." The cubicles were separated but just a dividing wall, John stationed himself maybe four metres away from Mollie, the wall covered her as she stripped down to nothing.

"I ate with a plastic spoon, don't act like I could've murdered you with it." Mollie rolled her eyes at John's grin, she couldn't see it from behind the wall but she was sure that it was there.

Despite her situation Mollie made certain to enjoy her time spent showering as much as she could. She stretched out all of her limbs which ached having been tied up for days, and even though she only had a measly bar of soap, she made sure to lather it over every inch of her body, taking her time.

"You're taking your time," John had quipped after about fifteen minutes, "Are you waiting for me to join you?"

"No, and don't you even think about coming around the side of this wall." She warned.

"You remember that I'm the one with the gun?" John reminded her with a laugh.

"I bet you couldn't fight me with your bare hands, unarmed." Mollie turned off the shower, grabbing hold of the large towel that hung over the divider as if in wait for her and wrapping it securely around her.

John smiled, "If that's a challenge you should be careful what you wish for, besides I wouldn't want to mess up your pretty face."

"More like I wouldn't want to mess up yours... no actually come to think of it, I would." She looked into his face as she emerged from the cubicle, directing a deadly serious look John's way.

She noticed him studying her when she turned around and he seemed to have noticed her tattoos, she took a moment to look at his own. A mark on his chest similar to the ones Joseph bore was clearer to her now, it read 'sloth'.

"Looking good and definitely smelling better. There's some clothes out here for you in the changing room." John signalled for her to follow him.

Mollie looked at the items folded up on the bench, there was a grey jumper and a pair of black jogging bottoms and a pair of mens boxer shorts had been provided for her. She dipped her eyebrow in frustration.

"Really?" She complained.

"That's all I had lying around, we don't usually provide our captives with clean clothing, unless you want to wear your dirty ones for the foreseeable future." John offered sarcastically.

Mollie took her sports bra from the pile of clothes she'd warn before and John released a laugh before biting his lip.

"What?" She spat as he eyed her up and down once more.

"Go on then." John nodded at the clothes as if to tell her to put them on.

"Where?" Mollie looked around for a changing cubicle before realising there were none.

"This is about all the privacy we get." John shrugged, for a moment Mollie froze thinking that the worst was about to happen, until John let out another laugh, "Go over there, I can't see behind that wall. Be quick though, it's getting late and we need to talk before I leave for the night."

"Leave?"

"Well yeah, I have an actual house on the surface that I live in, I don't spend all day down here."

"Can't you keep me as a prisoner somewhere I can get fresh air?" Mollie hinted badly.

"No? Obviously not?" Tutting with disapproval, John rolled his eyes.

"You're basically saying that you're afraid can't hold me prisoner above ground incase I escape and drive off over the border, right?"

"Not happening even if you wanted to. The bridges are down, as in they went 'boom'. No one is coming in or going out Deputy. There's no one looking for you and most, except for local, radios are down. Patrols are on every border of this valley and scouts drive the roads day and night. Joseph took your arrival here very seriously."

Mollie walked back into the room slowly, emerging from behind the wall dressed in the clothes John had given her with a frown plastered across her face.

"Where are my friends?" She asked, straight to the point.

"Scattered. Faith has one and Jacob has the other. I believe the Sheriff escaped, but your pilot... no." John shook his head as Mollie swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Fuck you." She spat.

"No, you did this, you brought it on yourself how can you not see that? Give me your hands." John tied her hands back together as she thought about Staci being dead. The Sheriff had been right, they should have walked away.

John took her back to the chamber, but this time he put her in a smaller cell in the corner of the room. It had blankets and a pillow on the floor, as well as a chamber pout, some reading material and a radio receiver - nothing communicable.

"I don't really have much time to talk to you about what I want to talk to you about," John started, "I'll try my best but it depends on how much you interrupt."

"I chose to be here. I said yes to the Marshall on this and didn't think twice about it. I didn't know what I was walking into." Holding on to the bars of the cell door, Mollie watched as John turned a key in the lock before removing it and stashing it in his pocket.

"I believe you're here for a reason, I don't think you would've said yes if you weren't meant to be here." He replied softly, as though he was trying to make her feel better about her situation.

"Yeah? I was meant to be taken hostage by a cult, specifically by the brother who tortures people?" She huffed out a laugh as she turned away from the door, looking around the small cell.

"With atonement comes pain, Deputy. How can you really atone for your sins if you never feel the pain that they inflict?" John asked, his voice soft and almost filled with reason. Whatever he was saying to her, he truly believed in it.

"I don't believe whatever it is that you're peddling, John Seed. You're wasting your time so just go, I'm not buying it." Mollie shook her head miserably.

John Seed sighed heavily, "You should believe it, because Joseph is right. You're a smart, sweet girl. You'll be wasted when the collapse comes and, mark my words, you'll regret this. The power of 'yes' could save you, your cleansing and atonement would be the making of you. God wants you to say 'yes'."

"No. Go to hell, and take your degenerate family with you." She spat.

"Are you sure you want to do this now? Because I can assure you tomorrow will be different, this is your chance to accept my helping willingly." His last effort was as futile as the first.

"I said leave me alone. We failed and you've got me locked in a cage. Let me sleep before you do whatever it is you do to people." Mollie leant her back to the wall of the cell and slid down it slowly until she hit the floor, bunching her arms around her knees and shooting John Seed 'a look'.

John hesitated for a moment, frustration awash across his face, until he put his hands up as if to say he gave in before turning his back and walking away.

"Until tomorrow, Deputy." He called back to her and then switched off the lights, plummeting the room into an almost pitch black state, save for the emergency lighting that provided a red glow in the adjacent chamber.

Mollie was no longer tied up and of course the first thing she did once John had left was rush to the cell door. The bars weren't thick and the door rattled somewhat when shook but despite that Mollie wouldn't be able to take it down by force. She huffed, wondering if there would be anything she could do to escape. John Seed wasn't stupid and the room contained no lockpick material, the metal walls impenetrable and sturdy, the bars too close together to squeeze through.

I'm done, Mollie told herself, there's no point in fighting. This is horror movie stuff.

She lay down on the blanket in the corner of the room and curling herself up into a ball, wondering why she had agreed to be a part of this, she cried until she drifted into sleep.

* * *

When Mollie was awoken the next morning, it wasn't by John Seed.

Three men, dirty, unkempt and rough, burst through the cell door unannounced dragging Mollie up from the ground forcefully without giving her a chance to find her feet.

"W-whoa wait, I'll walk, just ask me to - "

"Shut up." The first of them barked.

"Where are we going?" Mollie stuttered as they pulled her uncomfortably, their grip around her arms too tight, and the third held a shotgun against her back.

"The Cleansing, we're taking you to John." The second man said gruffly.

"The Cleansing? What do you mean?"

"I said shut up." The same man barked a second time, before the third smacked her across the back of the head with the butt of his weapon.

"Don't hit the pretty girl... John wont like it if you mess her up, you heard him say not to mess up her pretty little face." The second man laughed.

Mollie decided to stay quiet as they dragged her up and up flights of stairs, they were leaving the bunker. This was her chance.


	4. Does Your Mother Know?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John Seed certainly wasn't expecting that turn of events during a cleansing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Thanks for staying with me if you have, I work night shifts and my chances to write are few and far between. Please follow me on tumblr if you like, and leave feedback too if you enjoy - it helps keep me motivated between 2 and 7am**

They had driven her a short distance before abruptly pulling her out of the vehicle again and marching her down a dirt path. Mollie could hear the river flowing and as they moved through the green trees into an open clearing by the riverbank she saw John Seed standing there, a smile across his face, his arms open in a welcoming gesture.

The warm sunshine beat down on them all softly and as the men marched her directly up to John, the light made his eyes glow. She almost lost herself in them until he spoke.

"I'm glad to see you." He grinned.

"Wish I could say the same." Mollie said under her breath, but John heard her and he laughed.

"I honestly think we could be friends, if you let us. It's time." Without asking, he took hold of her hand and walked her down to the waters edge. When she looked back, she could see around eight or nine of the Peggies in total, all with their guns poised and ready.

"Are you going to kill me, John?" Mollie gushed, looking at him desperately, not understanding his motives.

"Of course not, I'm going to save you. I know you said you didn't want me to, but in time, you'll understand." John kept on smiling as he looked her in the eyes, "Just follow my lead, we're going in."

"I don't skinny dip with people who take me hostage." Mollie snarked.

"Do as I say Deputy, for your own good. You will be cleansed before the day is over." John's tone was more serious that time, Mollie thought. She wondered why he had to be such a bastard but so easy on the eye.

John guided her through the water, wading her in up to her hips. The water rippled and washed around them softly, cooling in the midday heat.

John began to speak in verse and quickly Mollie remembered that he was known as John the Baptist, so of course, he was going to baptise her in the river in the name of his skewed vision of God. Mollie thought it best she should hold her breath, as she had no doubt that John was going to pull her under - and just like that, the strangest thing happened.

The verse that John was reciting suddenly became drowned in a mass of noise, a familiar electronic rhythm belted out across the valley echoing within its walls. John's face dropped, like a Hanna Barbera cartoon, Mollie was surprised his chin didn't hit the floor.

"What the fuck is that?" He exclaimed trying to shout over the noise.

"It's... it's Abba?" Mollie, in just as much shock but not near his level of concern, began to laugh as she heard gunfire in between the noise. Someone was here, and they clearly weren't on the side of Eden's Gate as John's men began to drop one by one.

_You're so hot, teasin' me_  
_So you're blue but I can't take a chance on a chick like you,_  
_It's something I couldn't do._

His grip tightened on Mollies shirt, he began to drag her across the water toward a pile of rocks in the shallow swell of the river where he pulled her to the floor in an attempt to get cover.

_There's that look_  
_In your eye_  
_I can read in your face that your feelings are driving you wild_  
_Ah, but girl you're only a child_

"This is the part where you let me go, John." Mollie warned, ensuing a struggle as she tried to pull away from him. John's grip tightened, his arm moving to grapple her around her neck. Their feet shuffled and skid awkwardly on the pebbles and moss in the water as they struggled not to slip.

_Well, I could dance with you honey_  
_If you think it's funny_  
_Does your mother know that you're out?_

"Not a chance." He hissed, reaching for the handgun in his holster, his hands fumbled as they both ducked at the sound of heavy gunfire.

_And I could chat with you baby_  
_Flirt a little maybe_  
_Does your mother know that you're out?_

Like a flash, Mollie brought up her elbow and slammed it into his jaw while he was distracted, she crouched and used her right foot to shove him backwards into the water, his gun flying from his grip as he landed awkwardly in the shallow.

"Deputy!" John growled low and painfully.

"Take it easy, John Seed." She said with pleasure in time with the music.

_Take it easy (take it easy)_  
_Better slow down girl_  
_That's no way to go_  
_Does your mother know?_

Gunfire still rained down on the Peggies as she darted through the bushes, dashing around them as the dropped to the ground like flies. Finally she caught sight of the mysterious musical saviour.

_Take it easy (take it easy_  
_Try to cool it girl_  
_Take it nice and slow_  
_Does your mother know_

He had a rough but smooth kind of look to him, was wearing jeans and a green sleeved hoodie and sported a cap on his head and he was thoroughly enjoying bringing down the Peggies.

"Hey! Hey, over here!" Mollie called out, but the music was too loud, she couldn't risk getting shot by someone who obviously wasn't there to shoot her. She quickly pulled up against a tree trunk, glancing around from her cover she didn't see any more of John's men.

_I can see_  
_What you want_  
_But you seem pretty young to be searching for that kind of fun_  
_So maybe I'm not the one -_

Suddenly the music stopped as the saviour shot into the speakers loaded onto the back of a white truck emblazoned with the Eden's Gate logo.

"Hey, anyone out here?" He called, "No need to reply if you're a Peggie!"

"Yes!" Mollie shouted desperately, bringing herself out from behind the tree trunk "I'm here!"

"You a Peggie? You don't look like one." He questioned.

"Absolutely not a Peggie, I'm Deputy Bourne."

"Oh shit! You're one of the ones that they caught huh? Well come on, we'll take one of their vehicles, I'll get you out of here. The name is Sharky, Sharky Boshaw."

"Yes, let's get the fuck out of here." Mollie agreed, she leant down over one of the corpses, snatching a gun from underneath their bloody torso as it lay face down before hesitating, "Wait..."

Mollie turned back toward the boulders where John had hidden and crept slowly forward.

"Whoa don't go that way, we need to get out of here before more of em' show up. That music was pretty loud." Sharky exclaimed, looking over his shoulder to check they were still clear.

"I left John Seed down here, the sooner I put a bullet in him the better." Mollie whispered just loud enough for Sharky to hear.

She crept down the dirt path, her feet bare and cut from the rough ground underneath her soles, her breathing was steady as she concentrated. As she rounded the boulder she realised that he'd taken off and fled the commotion but, laying just on the bank was his radio, it must have fallen from his waist in their struggle.

"Awesome." She said quietly to herself retrieving it from the bank and dusting it off, the green light still blinking with life. Mollie strapped it to her own waistband before taking off back up the bank to Sharky.

"He's gone? That's disappointing."

"Yeah, but I got his radio, so it's not a total loss. Maybe it could help, if the others are still with the Seed family then maybe I could intercept their communication."

"That sounds like a good plan, but let's get you somewhere safe first. I know just the place, you get in that truck there, I'm just gonna get my CD from the other van so we have some tunes to drive back with. It'll take us a little while to get back to the Henbane from here."

"Uh, sure. Priorities." Mollie agreed, piling into a black truck parked just up the path with the doors unlocked, key still in the ignition.

Sharky got back into the van after retrieving his CD, he loaded it into the player before doing anything else. Flicking through the tracks until he settled on something.

"So, Abba huh? That was some distraction." Mollie finally found time to laugh.

"How much fun was that though you gotta agree? It was pretty fuckin' cool, although I didn't necessarily mean for it to be an Abba song - I think I got my playlists mixed up when I burned the CD." Sharky, who was more than pleased with himself, started the engine.

"Thanks for just showing up." Mollie sank back in her seat, breathing her relief.

"I'm glad I did, boy will the Sheriff be happy when he sees you. If you were with John and you get out unscathed you're more than lucky, he's a sadistic motherfucker."

"So I've heard. He didn't hurt me, though." Mollie thanked her lucky stars, sighing heavily.

"That's not like John Seed, are you sure it was him?" Confused, Sharky furrowed his eyebrows.

"One hundred percent." She nodded.

Sharky drove them at speed but Mollie wasn't really paying attention to the ride, instead she played around with the radio, removing the battery to dry it off with a rag she found in the passengers side door and inspecting the controls.

When her eyes did stray to the road, she took in the sights of Hope County from the ground for the first time.

Driving through the Holland Valley, she saw billboards with John Seed's face plastered across them bearing subtly threatening messages. Up in the hills a giant sign that read 'YES' sat like an eyesore visible to all.

Right in the middle of Kenny Loggins 'Danger Zone', about twenty minutes into their drive, John Seed's radio spat out some feedback before it sprang into life. Surprising them both, Sharky quickly turned the music down.

'Deputy... I bet you think you're smart. Well I've got news for you, that'll be the last game we play. From now on it's serious, I was very willing to give you a chance on account of your history - oh yes, I know all about you, Mollie Bourne. I know about the house fire, I know about the child you lost, I know... I did my research on you. I was prepared to save you and you repay me with an elbow to the face. Sit tight - I'll find you, Deputy.'

The radio crackled into silence. Mollie was quiet, feeling like she'd been shot in the chest and wondering where John had got his information from, because it wasn't wrong.

"He's really got it in for you. That was awkward, I'm really sorry that I was here to hear that." Sharky apologised for having overheard something so personal.

"Don't worry about it." She shook her head.

"I won't ask. We're in Faith's region now, this is the Henbane river. It used to be beautiful, but now it's just a farm for the bliss." Mollie's new friend shared what he knew of the valley with her.

"Bliss... that's a drug right?" She thought back to whatever it was that John forced her to drink the day before, wondering if that was the same thing.

"Yeah the cult produces it in mass, they use it in their baptisms, they use it to lure people in and turn their minds to mush... too much of it and you're not you anymore." Sharky continued his lesson in Hope County.

"I can't believe that you have to live with this."

"Well we who stay, fight. You were caught though - that's never happened to me thankfully."

"What were you doing in the woods anyway, Sharky?"

"Huntin' Peggies... here we are, this is the Hope County jail. This is where you'll find the Sheriff. I'm not gonna stay, but you ever need anything just let me know and I'll be there."

"Thank you, honestly. Take care of yourself, Sharky Boshaw." Mollie smiled as she hopped out of the van, still barefoot, still soggy and damp.

As she walked to the gates of the jail, a guard stood up on the turret aimed a sniper rifle at her.

"I'm not a Peggie!" She called up, raising her hands, "Tell the sheriff it's the Junior Deputy, I got away from John Seed."

Mollie hovered outside the gate when the doors suddenly burst open, the Sheriff paced quickly forward, unlocking the gate swiftly and ushering Mollie inside before locking it again.

"Rookie? I didn't know if we'd see you again, are you okay?" Sheriff Whitehorse checked her up and down with concern, looking for any sign of injury.

"I think so... he didn't get very far with me. But he did send me a warning, look," she pulled the radio from her waistband, "I have this, it's John's. It picks up their signals on their frequency so unless they change that then maybe we could use this to intercept them."

"Well let's think about that later. You need to get cleaned up before we do anything else, and I need to explain to you the severity of the situation we are in." Whitehorse placed a hand on Mollie's back as he guided her inside, she started to notice her feet stinging more now as she walked across the dry, dusty ground.

She'd taken a uniform from the stores into the bathroom with her so that she could get showered and dress in something more practical for the job ahead, she knew that she needed to help her friends.

She put the radio on the side of the sink while she searched for some soap and shampoo in the jailhouse bathroom, nothing was fancy and it was definitely a boys club but when she found some conditioner and deodorant she was more than happy.

The shower had two temperatures, freezing and lukewarm. Just as she stood in the basin, the radio buzzed again and John Seed's voice addressed her once more.

'Deputy... Now that I have you alone, I think we should talk."


End file.
